A significant problem in the semiconductor industry is the removal of specks of matter from the surface of a semiconductor wafer. Presently, matter of the order of 0.5 to 0.3 microns has been found sufficient to contaminate a chip. As the industry continues to produce ever more intricate products, it is expected that 0.1 micron size specks will become a problem.
Silicon wafers take on an electrostatic charge as they are processed so as to make removal of specks of matter on the surface of a wafer much more difficult. One approach to the problem has been to attempt to remove the electrostatic charge by ionization of the wafer surface accompanied by directing a stream of clean air against the wafer surface so as to attempt to blow the specks of matter away.
It has been found that in the region approximately 0.04 to 0.004 inch above the zero surface, a laminar flow of air exists which is fairly ineffective in brushing the specks from the surface. Accordingly, this thin laminar layer passes in protective spaced relation across the smaller specks.
Accordingly, there has been a need for providing improved means for removing extremely fine specks of matter from an electrostatically chargeable surface.